Israeli minister skips UK trip

Arrest fears over war crimes charges force Avi Dichter to shun London conference.

07 Dec 2007 10:25 GMT

Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister, has askedfor a change in British laws [File: AP]

"This incident has not marred our bilateral ties, but it is a shame that an opportunity for Dichter to share from his experience has gone to waste," Gill said.

Assassination planner

Dichter was one of the planners of the assassination of Saleh Shehada, a Hamas commander, in 2002.

Shehada, and 14 Palestianian civilians, were killed by an Israeli air strike.

Doron Almog, an Israeli ex-general involved in the Shehada assassination, narrowly avoided arrested when in London in 2005.

He avoided arrest by returning to Israel after being warned that a British magistrate had ordered his detention.

A federal judge in the US threw out private war crimes proceedings against Dichter in 2005.

Israel has come under international censure for its handling of a Palestinian revolt that erupted in 2000. Israel says its methods are an appropriate response to armed fighters who operate in crowded Palestinian areas and use tactics like suicide bombings.